50 Inspiring Quotes From Trailblazing Women We Admire

Words of wisdom

1. “Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” – Golda Meir, first female prime minister of Israel
   
2. “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady of the United States, diplomat, and activist
   
3. “We must develop a thick skin. With an unshakeable sense of self – and a commitment to being compassionate – nothing will faze you.” – Mari Smith, social media marketer known as the “Facebook Queen”
   

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4. “You should never let your fears prevent you from doing what you know is right.” – Aung San Suu Kyi, human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and state counselor of Myanmar
   
5. “Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.” – Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman appointed to the Supreme Court
   

4. “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, first female head of state in Africa
   
5. “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall, English primatologist and anthropologist
   
6. “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” – Coco Chanel, French fashion designer
   
7. “Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down, and trust your instincts. Good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don’t hurt. They’re not painful. That’s not just with somebody you want to marry, but it’s with the friends you choose. It’s with the people you surround yourself with.” – Michelle Obama, former first lady of the United States
   

4. “I want little girls to grow up knowing they can do anything, even play football.” – Jen Welter, first female coach in the NFL
   
5. “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King, American tennis player who fought for equal prize money for female athletes
   
6. “You can have it all. Just not all at once.” – Oprah Winfrey, television personality
   
7. “I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.” – Nora Ephron, American journalist, writer, and filmmaker

Good advice

14. “To love what you do and feel like it matters – how could anything be more fun?” – Katharine Graham, first American female Fortune 500 CEO
    

14. “Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.” – Gertrude Stein, American novelist
    
15. “Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you.” – Hillary Clinton, American politician, diplomat, lawyer, writer, and public speaker
    
16. “When I’m hungry, I eat. When I’m thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it.” – Madonna, American entertainer and first female billionaire of pop music
    
17. “Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.” – Maya Angelou, American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist
    
18. “I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.” – Florence Nightingale, British nurse, social reformer, and statistician
    
19. “I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career.” – Gloria Steinem, feminist journalist and social activist
    
20. “Invite people into your life that don’t look or think like you.” – Mellody Hobson, president and co-CEO of Ariel Investments
    
21. “Decide … whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying.” – Amelia Earhart, aviation pioneer and author
    
22. “No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank, Jewish diarist who wrote about her family’s time in hiding during the German occupation in World War II
    
23. “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. Be faithful in small things, because it is in them that your strength lies.” – Mother Teresa, Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary
    

14. “If you need the user to tell you what you’re selling, then you don’t know what you’re selling, and it’s probably not going to be a good experience.” – Marissa Mayer, businesswoman, investor, and former CEO of Yahoo
    
15. “Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder.” – Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean In
16. “Define goal. Take action. Stay focused. Expect success. Nothing less.” – Michele Ruiz, entrepreneur, bilingual communication specialist, author, and keynote speaker

Unique perspective

28. “I think the girl who is able to earn her own living and pay her own way should be as happy as anybody on Earth. The sense of independence and security is very sweet.” – Susan B. Anthony, women’s rights activist and social reformer
    

28. “If you follow your heart, if you listen to your gut, and if you extend your hand to help another – not for any agenda, but for the sake of humanity – you are going to find the truth.” – Erin Brockovich, legal clerk, consumer advocate, and environmental activist
    
29. “Don’t cut off your career branches too early. Don’t step away from your career based on what ‘might’ happen.” – Mary Barra, chairwoman and CEO of General Motors
    
30. “I was taught to strive, not because there were any guarantees of success, but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life.” – Madeleine Albright, first female U.S. secretary of state
    
31. “If you’re not making some notable mistakes along the way, you’re certainly not taking enough business and career chances.” – Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest
    

    

32. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” – Harriet Tubman, abolitionist and political activist
    
33. “Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” – Marie Curie, Polish-French physicist and first female Nobel Prize winner
    
34. “There are lots of opportunities out there for women to work in these fields; girls just need support, encouragement and mentoring to follow through with the sciences.” – Sally Ride, first American woman to fly to space
    
35. “Some leaders are born women.” – Geraldine Ferraro, first female vice presidential candidate
    
36. “To stay ahead, you must have your next idea waiting in the wings.” – Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard business professor and director of the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative

38. “Each person must live their life as a model for others.” – Rosa Parks, civil rights activist
    
39. “There are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.” – Indira Gandhi, former prime minister of India
    

38. “There are no ugly women, only lazy ones.” – Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American businesswoman who started one of the world’s first cosmetic companies
    
39. “Do not be afraid to make decisions. Do not be afraid to make mistakes.” – Carly Fiorina, first female CEO of a Fortune 20 company
    
40. “I always want to make films. I think of it as a great opportunity to comment on the world in which we live.” – Kathryn Bigelow, first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director

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The beauty of being different

43. “What sets you apart can sometimes feel like a burden, and it’s not. And a lot of the time, it’s what makes you great.” – Emma Stone, Academy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress
    
44. “The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of a mistake.” – Meg Whitman, CEO of Quibi
45. “If we are going to be part of the solution, we have to engage the problems.” – Majora Carter, urban revitalization strategist
    

43. “You create opportunities by performing, not complaining.” – Muriel Siebert, first female member of the New York Stock Exchange
    
44. “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” – Rosalynn Carter, American writer and activist who served as first lady of the United States 

48. “None of us can know what we are capable of until we are tested.” – Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman to graduate from medical school in the U.S.
    
49. “I have never, ever focused on the negative of things. I always look at the positive.” – Sonia Sotomayor, first Latina Supreme Court justice
    

48. “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” – Anne Sweeney, American businesswoman and former co-chair of Disney Media

Derek Walter contributed to the reporting and writing in this article.